Device for stropping or sharpening razor-blades or the like.



W. J. MYATT. DEVICE FOR STROPPING OR SHARPBNING RAZOR BLADES OR THELIKE. APPLICATION rum) NOV. 30, 1912.

1,061,772. Patented May 13, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. J. MYATT.

DEVICE FOR STROPPING OR SHARPENING RAZOR BLADES OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1912.

1,061,772. Patented May 13, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

coLUMflIA PLANOORAP" C0., WAsMINOTON. D- C.

WILLIAM JAMES MYATT, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR STROPPING OR SI-IARPENING RAZOR-BLADES OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1913.

Application filed November 30, 1912. Serial No. 734,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIA-M JAMES MYATT, a subject of His Majesty theKing of England, residing at Argent lVorks, Frederick street,Birmingham, in the county of Warwickshire, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Devices forStropping or Sharpening Razor-Blades or the Like, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention comprises certain improvements in or relating to devicesfor stropping or sharpening razor blades or the like espe cially safetyrazor blades, and it has for its object a device which shall be simplein construction and effective in operation.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts suchas will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readilycarried into effect reference may be had to the appended explanatorysheet of drawings on which Figure l is a front elevation of a machineconstructed according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation. Fig. 3 is a plan. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional viewlooking in the direction of the arrow at, the section being taken online no a" of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the means for operatingthe stropping member and blade holder spindles. Fig. 6 is a view of theend plate shown in Fig. 5 with certain parts removed therefrom. Fig. 7is an inside view of the member for operatin'gthe stropping member andblade holder spindles detached from the end plates shown by Fig. 6. Fig.8 is respectively a face and edge view of one jaw of the blade holdershown in Figs. 1, 3, and 1. Fig. 9 is respectively a face and edge viewof the other jaw. Fig. 10 is an edge view of the spring controlling thejaws shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively front andrear views of the spring shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a face View of amodified form of blade holder. Fig. 1 1 is a section on line w m of Fig.13, and Fig. 15 is an edge View of the rear of the blade holder shown byFig. 13.

In the convenient embodiment illustrated the stropping disk 1 is fixedlymounted upon the spindle 2 journaled in side plates 3, 4:, suchstropping member, having a strip of leather or other suitable materialsecured to tinued rotation of such spindle is drawn transverselythercacross. The blade holder is also so mounted that when the directionof rotation of the said spindle is reversed the blade holder is turnedover to present the other side of the blade to the opposite side of thestropping member so that it may be pressed thereon and drawn acrossthesaid member in the reversed direction. For this purpose the saidspindle 6 is mounted centrally over the stropping member 1 and so thatboth sides of the said member may be presented thereto at the properangle, and

such spindle has formed therein a helical groove 8 with which engages aprojection connected to the holder 5, whereby upon rotating the spindlethe projection is moved along the helical groove to impart a transversemovement to the blade holder, the blade at the same time being pressedupon the stropping member 1. Furthermore a reversal of the direction ofmotion of the spindle 6 effects a reversal of the blade holder.

The spindles 2 and G are simultaneously rotated in the same directionconveniently by the toothed wheels 9 and 10, which are mountedrespectively on the said spindles on the outside of the side plate 1,these toothed wheels engaging with the internally toothed periphery ofthe driving member 11, which is rotatively secured to the side plate 4.

A hand grip 12 is conveniently secured to the member 11 by means of thescrews 13, 14, and a hand grip may also be secured to the side plate 3,whereby the machine may be entirely supported and actuated by the handsof the operator. These hand grips cause a driving couple to be exertedabout the axis of the driving member 11 whereby the reaction of thedriving force is very conveniently taken by the hands so that theactuation of the device is efi'ected without undue strain upon thehands.

The driving member 11 is conveniently rotatably mounted on the sideplate 4 by means of the projection 15 (Figs. 5 and 6) screwed onto theplate 4 which projection .holder as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and

forms a bearing for the sleeve 16 fitted to the driving member 11, thescrew 17 abutting against the projection 15 to prevent endwise movementof the driving member.

In order that the blade edge shall not damage the periphery of thestropping member 1 when reversing the direction ofrotation of thestropping member and when reversing the blade holder, it is insured thatthe spindle 6 shall be operated in advance of the spindle 2, and thismay conveniently be effected by providing lost motion be tween thetoothed wheel 10 and the internal teeth of the member 11 whereby theWheel 9' is operated in advance of said wheel 10, for this purpose theteeth of the wheel 9 are deeper in mesh with the driving member 11 thanthe teeth of the wheel 10. Stops 18 may also be provided to prevent theblade striking the stropping member with too great a force wheneffecting the reversal of the blade holder, such stops being adapted toengage with the blade holder. A stop 19 is also secured to the member 11and is adapted to engage with stops 20, 21 on the side plate 4 toprevent further rotation of such member 11 when the blade has traversedacross the stropping disk 1, the arcuate movement of the stops 19between the stops 20, and 21 of the member 11 enabling rotation of thespindle 6 to an extent which traverses the blade across the stroppingmember 1 a distance equal to the length of the blade.

In operation, a blade having been placed within the holder, the deviceis held 1n the hands by the hand grips 12 and the driving member 11rotated by means of the hand grip secured thereto, whereupon the bladeis presented to the stropping member 1, which member is then rotated andthe blade drawn transversely thereacross. Then the blade has completelytraversed across the stropping member the stop 19 moves against one ofthe stops 20, 21 which prevents further rotation of the driving member11. The driving member is then turned in the reverse direction whichvcauses the blade holder to move to the other side of the stroppingmember, as shown in dotted lines by Fig. 4, when it traversesthereacross in the reverse direction, the rotation of the stroppingmember being also reversed. The reversal of the blade holder. from. oneside of the disk to the other is effected by the frictional engagementof the holder with the shaft or spindle. In the form of holder depicted,the tail portions 24, 26 of the jaws 22, 23 which pass around thespindle 6 are yieldingly pressed against the spindle with a desiredamount of pressure to cause the blade holder to swing over to the otherside of the disk when the rotation of the spindle is reversed.

According to a convenient form of blade Figs. 8 to 12, such blade holderis adapted to receive a safety razor blade havlng two perforations, andcomprises two aws 22, 23,

'the jaw 22 being provided with a grooved tail portion 24 which passingthrough the aperture 25 of the grooved tail portion 26 of the jaw 23,lies around the underside of the spindle 6. The said grooved tailportion 26 is adapted to pass around the upper side of the spindle 6. Aspring 27 having side strips 28 also passes around the spindle 6, theside strips 28 fitting between the ends of the tail piece 24 and thesides of the groove 25, and the bent rear ends 29 of this spring areadapted to abut against the rear ends 30, 31 of the jaws to normallypress the forward portions together to grip the blade. The spring 27 .isalso formed with a central portion 32 which engages the inner face atapoint beyond the groove 25 of the jaw 23 as shown by Fig. 4. Riveted tothe rear portion 30 of the jaw 22 is a fitting 33 (Fig. 4) which has atits forward end a projection having a cup shaped recess within whichfits a ball which engages the helical groove 8 in the spindle 6 tothereby impart a transverse movement to the holder by the rotation ofthe spindle. The jaw 23 is provided with projections which engagetheperforations in the blade to be sharpened and the jaw 22 isperforated to accommodate the said projections when the jaws are closed.To remove or fit a blade within this holder the. rear jaws 30 and 31 arepressed together against the force of the spring 27 to open the jawswhich allows the blade to be removed therefrom or placed therein.

Any other form of blade holder may be used to suit any particular typeof blade and according to a further example as shown by Fig. 13 theblade which may be comparatively rigid, is adapted to be sprung bet-weenthe jaws 34, 35 and be frictionally retained therein by the grip ofthe'jaws. The said jaws are connected to or formed integral with asleeve which is a sliding fit upon the spindle 6 and to impart anenclwise movement thereon a ball is passed through an aperture 36 in thesleeve and projects into the helical groove into which it is pressed bymeans of the leaf spring 37. 0

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States of-America is 1. A device forstropping or sharpening razor blades or the like, comprising means towhich the blade is presented for stropping or sharpening the. edgethereof, a spindle, a holder for the blade mounted thereon, aninternally driving member common to the said stropping or sharpeningmeans and the spindle for actuating said stropping or sharpening meansand said spindle, a helical groove in the spindle with which groove theblade holder co-acts so that by the rotation of the spindle the blade ispressed upon and moved transversely across the stropping means and sothat upon reversing the direction of rotation of the spindle the side ofthe blade presented to the stropping means is also reversed.

2. A device for stropping or sharpening razor blades or the like,comprising means to which the blade is presented for stropping orsharpening the edge thereof, a spindle having a helical groove therein;an inter nally driving member common to the said stropping or sharpeningmeans and the spindle for actuating said stropping or sharpening meansand said spindle, a holder for the blade mounted thereon, such holderhaving a spring pressed member engaging with the helical groove, so thatby the rotation of the spindle the blade is pressed upon and movedtransversely across the stropping surface and so that upon reversing thedirection of rotation of the spindle the side of the blade presented tothe stropping surface is also reversed.

3. A device for stropping or sharpening razor blades or the likecomprising a stropping or sharpening member having a peripheralstropping or sharpening surface which is effective on the blade edge bya rotary motion, a spindle upon which said member is mounted, a bladeholder, a spindle upon which such holder is mounted, an internallytoothed wheel for simultaneously rotating the said spindles a hand riprigid with the internally toothed wheei means whereby the opposite edgesof the blade fitted in the holder are alternately presentedautomatically to and pressed upon said stropping member, and meanswhereby an alternate reversal of the direction of rotation of thestropping member is effected.

4. A device for stropping or sharpening razor blades or the like,comprising a shopping member which is effective on the blade edge by arotary motion, a blade holder, means whereby the opposite sides of theblade edge are alternately presented to and pressed upon the stroppingmember, means whereby an alternate reversal of the direction of rotationof the stropping member is effected, a driving member, side frames inwhich are journaled the spindles carrying the stropping member and bladeholder and hand grips carried one by the side frame and one by thedriving member, whereby the device may be operated and held in the handseach of which hand grips produces a couple about the axis of the drivingmember.

5. A device :for stropping or sharpening razor blades or the like,comprising a shop ping or sharpening disk, a spindle upon which suchdisk is mounted, a blade holder, at spindle having a helical groovetherein with which helical groove the blade holder coacts, side framesin which the said spindles are journaled, toothed wheels on saidspindles and an internally driving toothed wheel for simultaneouslyrotating the spindles, and grips carried by a side -frame and saiddriving wheel for holding and actuating the device, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J ARIES MYATT.

\Vitnesses:

HEN. CoN. I-Imnn, A. G. BARNES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, 1). c.

